


some princes don't become kings

by beachytablecloth



Series: atla ficlets and drabbles [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst, Ember Island (Avatar), Gen, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Sokka has a bad case of foot-in-mouth disease, Zuko's Childhood (Avatar), Zuko's Scar (Avatar), and Zuko is not in the mood to share
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:29:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27328828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beachytablecloth/pseuds/beachytablecloth
Summary: After finding a family portrait in the attic of the Fire Lord's vacation home, the Gaang learns something about Zuko.
Relationships: Sokka & Zuko (Avatar)
Series: atla ficlets and drabbles [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1995310
Comments: 12
Kudos: 326
Collections: avatar tingz





	some princes don't become kings

They’re sitting on the deck when Katara brings the portrait out.

“You guys! Look what I found in the attic! Look how cute little Zuko was!”

Sokka looks up from where he and Zuko were polishing their swords to see his sister holding a dusty portrait.

He first notices the Fire Lord, stern and cold even in a picture. Next to him, a woman, beautiful and regal. His eyes scan down to see two children with jet black hair, identical looks of distance in their eyes. With a jolt, he realizes he is staring at a young Zuko and Azula. It’s odd, but Sokka had never thought of them as children until now. Had never considered the way they grew up, or what their family had been like. Had never imagined Zuko’s face, unblemished by the scar that gave half his face a permanent scowl.

“Wow, Zuko! You look so different without the—” He cuts himself off, slapping a palm to his mouth. Sokka has this horrible habit of sometimes speaking before thinking, and he realizes, perhaps a little too late, that he was about to say something potentially rude.

Zuko tears his gaze away from the portrait and looks over at Sokka.

“Scar?” he supplies. “It’s okay, Sokka. I know what I look like.”

An awkward sort of silence settles over their group. The scar had never been something they’d discussed, and Sokka found himself feeling almost guilty for bringing it up. It was obvious that it was a sensitive topic for Zuko—anything that caused a scar _that_ bad must’ve been traumatic.

Sokka watches as Zuko sheathes his dao, and takes the picture from Katara. He stares at it.

Sokka flounders.

“Yeah—I, uh—sorry. I just guess, well because when we met you already had it—I just mean I never really thought about you, you know, _not_ having it.”

 _Real smooth, Sokka_.

Zuko huffs, somewhere between a laugh and a sigh. His jaw is tight and his eyes have not left the family portrait before him.

“Well. No. I didn’t always have it.” Zuko says, his tone light but his shoulders tense.

“Right. Of course not… Uh.” Sokka swallows and shifts nervously where he’s sitting. “How old were you…when you got—when you had your accident?”

Katara flashes him a look that is both questioning and a warning.

Zuko does not reply right away. He does not meet Sokka’s eyes. Instead, he carefully begins tearing the portrait around the woman—who must be his mother—discarding the rest. He gently folds the picture of his mother and tucks it into his tunic.

“I was thirteen,” he says, hopping down from the deck and holstering his swords upon his back.

“And it wasn’t an accident.” He stares at Sokka for a moment, a solemn, hard look in his eyes, as if he were daring Sokka to ask more.

But Sokka can’t find his voice. The implication has left him speechless, bewildered, sickened. And it’s all he can do to hold Zuko’s gaze and try to keep the horror he is feeling out of his eyes.

“I’m going to bed,” Zuko tells them, but he stalks off towards the beach instead of into the house, leaving them in a stunned, cold silence.

**Author's Note:**

> I have a lot of drabbles and headcanons and angsty little scenes like this, so I wanted to post them all here in a collection. 
> 
> I also post them on my [tumblr](https://beachytablecloth.tumblr.com/)
> 
> :)


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